Turbocharge Your Branding Using the Psychology of Color

Scientists have proven that colors have powerful influences on people’s emotions and actions. Use the right color to persuade your customers to your business’s advantage. Pick the most influential color for your logo design and branding and marketing campaigns.

Scientific studies discovered that 93% of consumers credit the visual look of a product as their key buying deciding factor, and 85% say that the primary reason they purchased was the color! This is because 80% of the visual information that is communicated by good logo designs are from the colors used.

Boost your marketing with the right color

Now knowing how color influences buyer decisions, use this industry research to build your best brand marketing.

Best colors by industry

Based on this 2017 study of Color in Branding, these are the predominant colors used in the logos of different industries and the psychological response it creates:

Restaurants: Red for attention and energy. Green for well being and health.

Banking: Blue for dependability. Red for warmth. Yellow for cheerfulness

Apparel and Accessories: Black for sophistication. Red for passion. Orange for confidence.

Auto and Truck Manufacturers: Gray for quality. Red for masculinity. Blue for reliability.

Home Improvement: Blue for relaxation. Orange for excitement. Red for motivation.

Pharmaceuticals: Blue for cleanliness. Orange for optimism. Green for vitality.

Emotions of colors for branding marketing

Here are the emotions different colors evoke:

Red: Creates a feeling of urgency, which can be very good for sales and clearance revenue. Fast-food chains often use the color red to stimulate our appetites. Red stimulates the entire body and heart rate and increases blood pressure. It is related to enthusiasm and motion.

Blue: This color is connected with peace. Blue provides a feeling of productivity, curbs appetite, and promotes safety. Brands that market trust, like banks and brokerage houses, use this color.

Green: Connected with health, tranquility, talent, and personal character. Green is used in relaxing store environments. It is also used to promote green living and similar products. Green promotes balance and confidence.

Orange and Yellow: Cheerful colors that encourage optimism and happiness.

Black: Connected with power, ability, stability, and durability. If utilized in excess it can become overwhelming.

Gray: Symbolizes feelings of practicality, older age, and solidarity. In excess, it can cause feelings of melancholy and nothingness.

White: Connected with feelings of purity, cleanliness, and security. White space in branding designs can be viewed as a clean slate and spark creativity.

Color preferences by your customer’s gender

As a business owner, your target customers may primarily be of a certain gender. You can use specific colors to more effectively market to these individuals.

Based on this groundbreaking color study by Joe Hallock, here are the findings of color preferences by gender:

Men’s Top Favorite Colors

Blue: 57%

Green: 14%

Black: 9%

Red: 7%

Orange: 5%

Gray: 3%

Brown: 2%

White: 2%

Women’s Top Favorite Colors

Blue: 35%

Purple: 23%

Green: 14%

Red: 9%

Black: 6%

Orange: 5%

Brown: 3%

Yellow: 3%

Men and Women’s Least Favorite Colors

Brown: 20% – 27%

Orange: 22% – 33%

Color Shades Preference by Gender

Unsurprisingly, research has determined that men prefer bolder tones and women like softer, paler colors. Therefore, men’s brands have developed their brand perception using darker, deeper shades. On the other hand, female-focused products do well with lighter shades as brand colors.

Conclusion and action steps

Use these proven effects of color on consumers’ actions to your advantage. Incorporate the colors that communicate to your target customers the emotions and feelings you want your products or services to evoke.

Review your logo, website design, and marketing materials to determine if you are positively or negatively using color to appeal to your customers.

Marsha Kelly sold her first business for more than a million dollars. She has shared hard-won experiences as a successful serial entrepreneur on her blog Best 4 Businesses. Marsha also regularly shares business tips, ideas, and suggestions as well as product reviews for business readers. As a serial entrepreneur who has done “time” in corporate America, Marsha has learned what products and services really work well in business today. Learn from her entrepreneurial experience to build your business with her small business recommendations.